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Religious Leaders Statement
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The Interfaith Worker Justice plans to deliver this sign-on letter to key members of Congress early in 2003. Please ask clergy and formal religious leaders (Imams, Sisters, Reverends, Priests, Pastors) to join the national religious leaders in signing the letter. Please mail (1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL 60660) or fax (773-728-8409) the endorsements to National Interfaith by Feb. 28, 2003.
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Dear Member of Congress,
We, the undersigned religious leaders, in keeping with our historic obligation to speak up and champion the cause of the needy among us, urge you to support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 (S.20). Likewise, we ask you to oppose amendments to the Fair Minimum Wage Act that add large and unnecessary tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and amendments that weaken existing labor protection laws.
As the value of the minimum wage continues to fall, now is the time to take action. Today, minimum wage employees working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earn only $10,700 a year, more than $4,300 below the poverty line for a family of three. Anything less than $1.50 increase is simply not enough. In fact, an increase of $1.50 would help about the same number of workers as a $1.00 increase would have helped last year. Nearly nine million workers – 35 percent of whom are their families’ sole wage-earners, and 61 percent of whom are women – would directly benefit from a minimum wage hike. The $3,000 income boost these workers would receive would allow a three-person family to pay for more than 15 months of groceries, more than eight months of rent, more than seven months of utilities, or tuition for a com-munity college degree. Hard working families will continue to fall below the poverty line even with this addi-tional $3,000, but Congress should not allow the value of the minimum wage to fall below the value of the 1996 increase. Unfortunately, minimum wage workers have already lost all of their gains since the 1997 increase.
We acknowledge the dignity and importance of work, but poverty-level wages do not serve those fighting to make the difficult journey from welfare to the workplace. Increasing the minimum wage will help those in entry level jobs to move toward self-sufficiency, and will reward people justly for the difficult work they perform every day. Such an action falls in line with our religious teachings. Employers should treat employees fairly and with dignity. Increasing the minimum wage creates a level playing field for employers who want to treat employees more justly, and reduces the ability of unjust employers to undercut the market by failing to respect the dignity of work.
Again, we urge you to support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 (S.20).
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PLEASE ADD MY NAME – please print clearly
Title:________________________(Reverend/Sister/Rabbi/Imam)
Name:_______________________________________
Congregation:__________________________________
Address:______________________________________
City:_________________________________________
State:___________________Zip:___________________
Day phone:____________________________________
E-mail:_______________________________________
Signature:______________________________________
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